Building Playcares
The IMPCT Playcare - History
IMPCT is a social enterprise formed in response to the 2015 Hult Prize Challenge. Our task? To develop a sustainable model for early education in urban slums. The IMPCT Playcare franchise is our answer to this challenge.
Urban slums throughout Latin America and Africa have talented women running entirely informal daycare centers out of their homes. Although these offer neighborhood parents a place to send their children while they work, they're often unsafe and the women running them generally untrained. Children are watched over but spend the day unengaged, leading to decreased preparation for grade school. This solution serves the immediate need of local parents but unfortunately does nothing to address the cycle of poverty these communities find themselves in.
We developed the Playcare franchise as a way to transition these informal daycares into true early education centers: support and financing to build a new facility, quality Montessori teacher training, and ongoing business support. Owning a Playcare allows the daycare owner to take care of 20 children instead of of only 4-5 and add serious educational value in doing so.
The IMPCT Playcare - Future
Our pilot center (pictured below) was built in the informal community of La Cuchilla in San Salvador, El Salvador. We also have a pilot of our brand new Factory Playcare concept currently under construction there as well.
Ultimately our vision is to bring the power of the Playcare franchise to deserving communities across the world. Our next few stops on that journey are in Guatemala and South Africa, where pilot Playcares are currently underway in Villa Canales and Cape Town.
Our Playcares
El Salvador - Communidad La Cuchilla, San Salvador
El Salvador - Factory Playcare San Julian
